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Friday, January 6, 2017

Motivation Love

I am so thrilled to be joining the Just Romantic Suspense community, now as an author! I’ve loved and enjoyed the posts here for some time, first as a lurker and later being bold enough to comment. Thank you so much for having me!

Who out there is setting goals for the New Year? Trying to up productivity, or feel happier? I know I am, and because we all know that life is about living, I just ordered 1000 super fun and cute stickers to help me track my goals. I used to scorn that sort of thing, thinking ‘surely I’d outgrown smiley faces,’ but this past year I accepted the challenge of an author friend and gave them a try. I achieved my goal of writing 366k words this past year, and for me there’s no going back.

What motivates you? Some people use plans for a vacation, time with family, or treats (because, chocolate) and there’s nothing wrong with dangling a dream or grabbing an energy boost to get you through a sticking point. Others go for deeper motivation, which is harder to pin down but probably better at propelling us across the finish line. In pondering my own goals for 2017, I came across this article (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/featured/the-science-of-motivation.html) on motivation, and found it super fascinating. One suggestion was to write on a 3x5 card what gets you up in the morning and what keeps you up at night. If they’re positive, hooray! If not, schedule a motivation intervention, stat!

I sat down with my characters from my debut romantic suspense, Storm of Attraction, and asked them a nosey question about motivation. Here are their answers:

Q: Alexa, you put a lot of time into your martial arts school on top of the extra hours you spend as a librarian. So, the question is, why? Or in other words, are you crazy?

A: I hope I’m not crazy! I really love what I do, and the Willowdale community has become my family, so I’m happy to spend time helping moms get their kick boxing on or learn the basics of self-defense. But in the end, I’m a sucker for the kids. That moment when I see their face light up because they’ve mastered a new combination, or just figured out how to kick without stubbing their toe…for me that’s pure magic. And how could you put a price on that?

Q: What about you, Drew? You were a Ranger, part of an elite force. How do you stay motivated after leaving all that behind?

A: Who’s to say I’ve left it behind? Once a Ranger, always a Ranger. But yeah, it wasn’t easy for me to leave my team and re-enter the civilian life. I’m not sure I would have done it for anything less important, but my dad needed me. I couldn’t let him fight a losing battle with cancer on his own. I’m glad I did, because clearly I was needed here in Willowdale, as well. As for motivation, no matter what I’m doing, or what I’m up against, I carry the Ranger code inside me and everything I do aligns with that.

Awww, aren’t they awesome? LOL. Er, uh, probably not supposed to say that…. Anyway, look for Storm of Attraction in February, this very next month, and I hope you find within yourself beautiful dreams to brighten your life and get you up in the morning! I also hope you’ll follow one of the links below, so we can connect. I’m new to this author thing, and would love to share the journey!

Storm of Attraction

Love is worth fighting for.

Alexa Wolving has just one rule: never give a guy a second chance. That works just fine in the safe life she’s built. In the charming town of Willowdale, her day job as a librarian balances perfectly with her evening job as a black belt instructor. But when she attracts the attention of a stalker, Alexa’s carefully built world begins to crumble.

Drew Cosimo knows he broke Alexa’s heart five years ago when he took his first Ranger assignment and disappeared from her life. Now that he’s out of the army, he’s moving back home to Willowdale. He’s not looking for a fight, but making peace would be easier if Alexa hadn’t told the entire town he was a money-grubbing jerk. Despite the tension between them, Drew is quick to offer his protection when a stalker forces Alexa from her home.

As the stalker’s attacks escalate, Alexa and Drew are forced to face their painful past and the simmering attraction between them. They must fight to save each other before everything they care about goes up in flames.

Author bio: LilyBlack believes in true love, but is also quite sure going after it is the scariest thing we’ll ever do! She explores this dynamic in her romantic suspense novels, which are set in the small imaginary town of Willowdale, where people dream big, love deeply, and kick butt if necessary. She has a black belt in Chung Do Kwan Tai Kwon Do, and has also trained in everything from judo to broadswords. She lives in North Carolina, where she tries to divide her free time between the mountains and the sea, with her very patient and loving husband and their teen daughter.

Are you a reviewer? Drop me a line if you’d like to take a longer look at Storm of Attraction, and I’ll roll out the red carpet for you!

4 comments:

I love the blurb for your book. I'll be watching for it in February. As for goals, I set a goal for each month. I know that my goal for January will be met on the 11th. Then I got start thinking about what goal I want to set for February.

Hi Joan, I'm so glad you like it! It's thrilling to think of readers discovering (and hopefully falling in love) with my book baby!Setting monthly goals is brilliant. A bit more bite-sized, and probably more likely to be kept. I like it!

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A recipe that includes a dash of desperation, a smidgen of danger, a dollop of adventure and a healthy portion of passion. Sprinkle a happy ending on top and you have the perfect meal. - JUST ROMANTIC SUSPENSE